The European Ocean Pact, presented last year by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the third U.N. Ocean Conference, set out an ambitious vision for ocean governance.
Whether that vision becomes reality will not only depend on the European Ocean Act, a legislative proposal under the Ocean Pact expected later this year to strengthen coherence across ocean policies.
Crucially, it will also require money. Without adequate funding, the Ocean Pact risks becoming a "paper pact": a promising political framework without the means to deliver tangible change at sea.
The Commission's proposed Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, unveiled in July 2025, reflects a new political era shaped by competitiveness, security, deregulation and geopolitical pressure.
The long-term budget proposal has now entered the discussion phase in both the European Council and Parliament. As it stands, however, it remains at best a pale shade of blue.
Insufficient resources in the next MFF
The clearest example is the €2 billion ring-fenced envelope for fisheries and maritime policy under the National and Regional Partnership Plans, a core delivery instrument of the next EU budget.
This amount falls far short of the Ocean Pact's ambition to make the ocean a strategic priority for Europe's environmental, economic and geopolitical future. Even more concerningly, there is a real possibility that the resources could ultimately be reduced to supporting fisheries policy alone.
The Common Fisheries Policy remains an essential pillar of European Union ocean governance. Yet the ocean agenda today extends far beyond fisheries, encompassing climate resilience, energy, trade, research, food systems, maritime security and political influence.
Such a broader strategic perspective was the rationale behind the Ocean Pact, and the budget should reflect it.
Beyond this dedicated envelope, the Commission argues that ocean-related objectives are reflected across the broader architecture of the MFF, notably through cohesion resources, competitiveness instruments, research programs and external action.
However, much of this support remains uncertain, indirect or contingent on future political choices by member states. The ocean is present across the proposal, but rarely as a clear political priority in its own right.
This disconnect is striking given the political momentum around ocean governance generated by the Ocean Pact and its forthcoming legislative translation through the Ocean Act, which represents a rare opportunity to turn ambitions into binding EU rules.
Toward a European Ocean Union
If the Ocean Act is meant to become the operational backbone of a genuine European Ocean Union, the budget must provide the resources to sustain that transformation.
Parliament has already signaled the need for a course correction by proposing an increase in the dedicated fund from €2 to around €7.3 billion, in line with current maritime and fisheries spending under the existing MFF, adjusted for inflation.
While representing a necessary correction, the next phase of negotiations must further strengthen both ambition and alignment with the Ocean Pact.
A dedicated budget for the Ocean Pact and the future Ocean Act could advance multiple objectives at once: financing conservation and restoration, supporting sustainable blue economy sectors and redirecting public support away from environmentally harmful subsidies toward small-scale, low-impact fisheries.
Such investment would be particularly important in vulnerable sea basins such as the Baltic and Mediterranean, where deteriorating marine ecosystems are increasingly affecting biodiversity, fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
Targeted investment would also generate significant economic returns. Evidence shows that every €1 invested in sustainable ocean management can deliver at least €5 in return.
There is no contradiction between strengthening Europe's competitiveness, security and resilience and investing in the ocean.
The ocean is the space through which Europe trades, protects its borders, develops renewable energy, projects geopolitical influence and responds to climate disruption. The EU cannot aspire to become a credible maritime power while treating ocean funding as secondary.
The next EU budget will determine whether the Ocean Pact becomes a genuine strategic project or remains another political ambition without the means to deliver.
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